Summary of doctoral dissertation epublic of korea vietnam strategic cooperative partnership and the way forward in the new context of global governance change in the 21st century

DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY OF VIETNAM --- PARK NOH WAN REPUBLIC OF KOREA-VIETNAM STRATEGIC COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIP AND THE WAY FORWARD IN THE NEW CONTEXT OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE CHANGE IN THE 21S

DIPLOMATIC ACADEMY OF VIETNAM

-

PARK NOH WAN

REPUBLIC OF KOREA-VIETNAM STRATEGIC COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIP AND THE WAY FORWARD IN THE NEW CONTEXT OF GLOBAL GOVERNANCE CHANGE IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Major: INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS Code : 62 31 0206

SUMMARY OF DOCTORAL DISSERTATION

HANOI – 2014

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION

AND TRAINING

MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

Công trình được hoàn thành tại Học viện Ngoại giao

Người hướng dẫn khoa học:

PGS TS Nguyễn Thái Yên Hương

PREFACE

1 Background of the research

Since the end of the Cold War in 1991, the global order and global governance have been changing rapidly The world is now in the process of an unprecedented transition period Many experts predict that the future world may shift into the “G-2 (US and China) Era” or “Energy- Climate Era.”

Likewise, in the post-Cold War period, the world changed remarkably with rapid globalization Globalization has played a pivotal role in increasing the total world GDP as well as in facilitating relationships among countries The world has become unified, and its system has also rapidly changed Together with a rapid leap in economic growth in the emerging countries such as the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and Republic of South Africa), the global order and the international system are being newly reshaped and restructured In the 21st century, relationship adjustments among powers will be one of the main issues in world politics This transition can be summarized under the following three points: i) structural change in socialist systems, ii) shifts in world power politics, and iii) changes in global actors‟ behavior

In this complicated environment, the global governance change has decisively, and in every aspect, influenced the development of ROK and Vietnam relations Around the middle of the 1980s, ROK and Vietnam were under pressure to reshape and rejuvenate their foreign policies to swiftly adapt to the changing global order ROK and Vietnam responded to the reshaped structure in the world order in a timely manner, proclaiming more reform oriented and opened foreign policies to enhance their national interests in the 21st century This contributed to help establishing diplomatic normalization between the two countries in 1992, and developing the current astonishing achievements of the bilateral relationship over just twenty years

With the global governance change, both ROK and Vietnam need to draw up a new strategic cooperative framework and search for a new

cooperative model Therefore it is of great significance to conduct research

on the two countries‟ foreign policy responses to global governance change and their recent relations in all sectors, and to consider how both countries might seek out cooperative ways forward in the medium and long term periods in the 21st century

2 Literature Review

There have been many books, articles and research papers analyzing

“global governance” “Global governance” is a rather vague and broad term, difficult to define The Commission on Global Governance defines its subject very generally as “the sum of the many ways in which individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their common affairs It is a continuing process through which conflicting or diverse interests may be accommodated and cooperative action taken” However, the meaning of the term varies depending on the person employing it or the circumstances in which it is used The term does not have a precise definition because there

is really no general consensus about its meaning

Generally, “Global governance” is a useful concept as a descriptive tool for international cooperation; however, it has its limitations as an analytic framework to explain the cause and effect relationship between cooperation and conflict Authors like James Rosenau have also used “Governance” to denote the regulation of interdependent relations in the absence of an overarching political authority, such as in the international system From a slightly different perspective Robert Gilpin proposes Hegemonic Stability Theory (HST), arguing that the international system is more likely to remain stable when a single nation-state is the dominant world power, maintaining a hegemony

Regarding the global governance mechanism after the end of the Cold War, there are a number of views Joseph Nye considers that the various and complex transnational connections and interdependencies between states and societies have been increasing, while the use of military force and power balancing is decreasing, although it still remains important The

article by James Petras entitled “China: Rise, Fall, and Re-emergence as a Global Power” proposes a different view: China will replace the United States to become a leading world economic power over the next decade However, China has seriously lagged behind the United States and Europe

in building an aggressive war-making capacity Nevertheless, the leadership

in regulating world order is gradually shifting to the emerging countries The article in the Financial Times entitled “The End of US hegemony: Legacy of 9/11” argues that while the United States still possesses overwhelming power, it no longer plays the role of hegemon

Regarding the reform of the United Nations, Thomas G Weiss, David P Fasythe and Roger A Coate in “The United Nations and Changing World Politics” take up three key issues: international peace and security; human rights and the growing influence of non-state actors; and sustainable development/eco-development However, this work cannot provide a clear-cut answer to the main issues which the UN is now facing The key issue of the UN is how to reform the Security Council With accelerated globalization, unprecedented global issues have arisen A number of books, journals, articles dealing with global issues such as climate change, poverty, terrorism, and human rights, are now being published Among them are the

“UN International Panel Convention Climate Change (IPCCC) Report” and the “Stern Review on the Economics of Climate Change” by Nicholas Stern However, there are many conceivable ways to address such global issues Regarding the ROK-Vietnam Strategic Cooperative Partnership and its prospects in the context of global governance change, the article by Do Hai Nam, Ngo Xuan Binh and Sung-Yeul Koo in “Economic Cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea in the East Asian Integration” notes that while relations between ROK and Vietnam were inaugurated during the second half of the 1980s, the ties remained limited to commercial trade Around that time, ROK and Vietnam proclaimed new foreign policies

to respond to the rapid changing in international environment ROK opened its “Northern Diplomacy,” while Vietnam adopted “Doi Moi (Reform and

Open Door Policy)” in 1986 These two diplomatic policies provided the greatest impulse to strengthen ROK-Vietnam relations and bring them to their present state In this regard, Alexander Lam Vuving‟s “The Shaping of Foreign Policy: Vietnamese Grand Strategy after the Cold War” sheds light

on the reconstruction of Vietnamese diplomacy in the new world order Charles K Amstrong‟s article entitled “South Korea‟s Northern Policy” examines the ROK‟s response, focusing on the importance attached to dialogue and lessening tensions with North Korea and its communist allies Since the establishment of diplomatic relations between ROK and Vietnam in 1992, numerous studies of bilateral ties have been published Most focus on the development of economic and cultural but not political relations The article entitled “Vietnam-Korea Strategic Cooperative Partnership” in The World and Vietnam magazine and the study by Do Hai Nam, Ngo Xuan Binh and Sung Yeul Koo in “Economic Cooperation between Vietnam and the Republic of Korea in the East Asian Integration” both present new insights into the remarkable development of ROK-Vietnam relations over the last 20 years These publications argue the unprecedented development has occurred because both countries lie geographically in the “East Asian cultural region”, with its salient characteristics of patriotism, intelligence and skill, passion for study and industriousness in work It was against this background that the two countries‟ relations were upgraded to “Strategic Cooperative Partnership”

in 2009 from the “Comprehensive Cooperative Partnership” in 2001

However, there have been very few books which attempt to examine

“comprehensively Vietnam –ROK strategic cooperative relations and their future direction” in the context of global governance change in the 21stcentury Ngo Xuan Binh‟s book entitled “The Relationship between Vietnam and South Korea in the New International Context” suggests new ideas on upgrading the bilateral relationship to “Strategic Cooperative Partnership” in the 21st

century However, the book fails to put forward more detailed strategic directions in response to the shifting pattern of

recent world governance, and also does not clarify the fundamental principles, global and regional, on which a comprehensive 21st century

“strategic cooperative partnership” should be based

3 The objectives and tasks of the research

The dissertation focuses on solving the following tasks:

1) Studying the importance of the changing process and characteristics

of global governance mechanisms in contemporary world history

2) Finding possible ways of defining international/regional/bilateral special events and situations by international political theory

3) Trying to clarify the implications of these developments and approaches for the Asian region, especially ROK and Vietnam, and analyzing possible ways forward for both countries as they respond to bilateral issues that might arise in the future

4) Highlighting the role of ROK and Vietnam as facilitators or bridges

to resolve global and regional issues, while continuing to construct the more cooperative relationships between the two nations

5) Showing realistic way for ROK and Vietnam to upgrade and develop their relations in all sectors, including political and military cooperation

6) Proposing some recommendations for a “ROK-Vietnam new mid and long term strategic vision”, a new strategic cooperative model in the years to come

4 Scope of the research

The period covered by this study shall be limited to that extending from the end of the Cold War in 1991 to 2020 The dissertation analyzes the global governance structure that was formed after the Second World War in

1945 It then provides an overview of global and regional governance changes and their recent characteristics from the end of the Cold War to the present It also analyzes the responses of ROK and Vietnam to the global governance change during this period The analysis of the strategic cooperative partnership between ROK and Vietnam begins from 1992,

when the two countries established their diplomatic relations, and continues

to cover the following 30 years

Regarding subject matter, the dissertation takes up the reshaping of relations among major international actors, especially the United States and China, along with international organizations such as UN, IMF, WB, OECD, APEC, ASEM and ASEAN It will also analyze power redistribution trends among the great powers and examine their foreign policies in the East Asia region The dissertation pays particular attention to the foreign policies of ROK and Vietnam in response to global governance change from the middle of the 1980s to the present

5 Research methods

The dissertation avoids technical discussion as much as possible, focusing first on developing a narrative of the great changes in global order and governance, and highlighting their distinguishing features and implications Subsequently, after the post Cold War, ROK and Vietnam relations within this framework are discussed with reference, where appropriate, to political economy and international relations theory

Again, where appropriate, the author makes use of historical, logical, statistical, comparative and mathematical approaches, time series analysis, and

so on Additionally, the dialectic method is used to show the unity in the policies and actions of the US in the world as well as in the East Asian region,

in order to explain how the US can politically affect regional politics

6 The contribution of the dissertation

1) The dissertation is the first work done in Vietnam to provide depth analysis on ROK-Vietnam relations in the context of global governance change from the end of the Cold War to the present in a complete and systematic manner

in-2) The dissertation endeavors to analyze the advantages, disadvantages and prospects for each field of bilateral cooperation, as well

as to propose various recommendations to enhance cooperative efficiency

in the coming years

3) The dissertation studies the bilateral relations between ROK and Vietnam as well as the relations of the two countries with China, the United States and other international actors, which helps to deepen the readers‟ knowledge of international relations

4) The dissertation provides reference material for the teaching and studying of world history, global governance theory and international relations, especially the relations between Vietnam and ROK, at universities, colleges, institutes, and research centers

5) The dissertation should be a useful reference source for policy decision makers and planners on Vietnam‟s relations with ROK

foreign-7 The structure of the dissertation

Apart from the Introduction, the Conclusion and the Appendix, the dissertation will be organized in three chapters as follows:

i Chapter 1 analyzes “Global Governance Changes and Their Characteristics” (including its early form and the transition process)

ii Chapter 2 describes policy responses of ROK and Vietnam to Global and Regional Governance Change since 1991”

iii Chapter 3 analyzes “Current ROK-Vietnam Bilateral Relations and the Way Forward in the Context of Global and Regional Governance Change in the 21st Century”

CHAPTER 1: GLOBAL GOVERNANCE CHANGES AND THEIR

CHARACTERISTICS 1.1 Global Governance: Definition and Framework

1.1.1 Global Governance: Definition and Analytical Usefulness

The Commission on Global Governance defines its subject in general terms as “the sum of the many ways in which individuals and institutions, public and private, manage their common affairs” Thomas G Weiss, Director of the Ralph Bunche Institute for International Studies at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York, defines “global governance” as “collective efforts to identify, understand or address world-

wide problems that go beyond the capacity of individual States to solve.” The concept of global governance remains vague but it is still a useful tool for the analysis of international politics In this dissertation, the author prefers to use Thomas G Weiss‟ definition

1.1.2 Global Governance Transition and Its Structure

The site and scope of governance have changed over the past several centuries This changing pattern has been influenced by various factors such

as world wars and globalization After the Second World War in 1945, the United States and the U.S.S.R maintained high profiles in world politics However, another overlapping basic framework for maintaining international order also existed, centering around the following organizations: one main pillar was the United Nations, others were the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank The former contributed to set up political governance system, the latter mainly played key roles to form economic governance system After the Middle East war in 1971, the economic strength of the United States decreased and there were changes in the distribution of economic power due to the comparative rise of some new emergent blocs and countries such as EU and China This global governance framework referred

to above existed continuously until the end of the Cold War in 1991

1.2 Governance Structure Changes and Their Characteristics

1.2.1 Structural Change Background: The End of the Cold War

In 1991, the collapse of the Soviet Union not only precipitated changes

in global governance without any major war but also led to the collapse of the socialist economic bloc Most of the socialist countries integrated into the Western economic system, embracing the principle “market economy and democracy.” As a result, the world, with rapid globalization, gradually became a more integrated one The previous bipolar world order was replaced by a brief Pax-Americana, a mono-hegemony centered on the United States

Since the beginning of the 21 century, as a result of a rapid leap in economic growth, newly emerging countries such as BRICS have appeared, forming a strong political grouping, and gradually upgrading both their economic power and their voice in the international community These trends have brought about a strong pressure for the re-adjustment of global governance structure to take account of the changing relationship between the emerging and advanced countries In addition, challenging global issues such as drugs, terrorism, poverty and climate change have become more serious These are difficult to solve effectively as each country remains deeply attached to its sovereignty and right to address them autonomously Moreover, the recent global financial crisis triggered by the United States and Europe has increased pressure for reshaping the global economic governance system

1.2.2 Characteristics of Recent Global Governance Change

1.2.2.1 Transition into Multi-Polar System: Declining US & Rising China

From the end of the World War II to the 1990s, the basic international system was a bipolar system, the so-called “Cold War”, an ideological competition system between the US and the USSR In 1991, the collapse of the former Soviet Union meant that the US remained as the sole superpower, and the world shifted briefly to a mono-hegemonic system Now the leadership of the world order is gradually shifting to the emerging countries, while the US, though it still possesses overwhelming power, no longer occupies the role of hegemon It is predicted that China will overtake the

US as the world‟s largest economy sometime around 2020

As a result of a rapid leap in economic growth since the beginning of the

21st century, the newly emerging countries such as BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) have expanded their influence and voice in the international community, forming a strong political grouping They have also emerged as powerful growth drivers for the world economy

1.2.2.2 Strengthening Regionalism: Expansion of Economic Blocks

In the post-Cold War world, regionalism is emerging as a compromise between nationalism and globalism in both geopolitics and geo-economics With the rapid progress in globalization and interdependence, the world is getting narrower and also deepening global interdependence Regional cooperation has also been strengthened since the end of the Cold War The

EU, NAFTA, APEC, ASEAN and MERCOSUR have emerged as the most significant regional blocs in the world economic system Nowadays, in the context of a fierce competition between developed economies to promote Free Trade Agreements (FTA), the region‟s economies are growing quickly

In the future, a new FTA bloc will be formed around three axes, namely the United States, Europe and Asia Moreover, there have appeared many regional and multinational economic entities to facilitate trade and investment among nations Recently, the “Doha Round” has been pushing

to strengthen and deepen the world trade order

1.2.2.3 Global Issues and Limitation of the Roles of the UN and G8

Nowadays, there are many issues like drugs, terrorism, poverty and climate climate change, which should be addressed urgently through friendly cooperation and intensive policy coordination among international actors However, it is difficult to form a consensus among nations on these questions as they touch upon sovereignty and self- determination Meanwhile, in addressing these global issues, the role and functions of international organizations such as the UN and G8 have become much weaker and they have been criticized for not acting in time This is especially true of urgent transnational issues which need a global response, such as the recent financial crisis, climate change, hunger elimination and poverty reduction

1.3 Global Governance: Reshaping and Prospects

1.3.1 Possibility of Global Governance Reshaping

The global governance system faces a double-facet crises: one is legitimacy, the other is effectiveness "Legitimacy" means that the present global governance system, created in the era of the “Rise of the West”,

cannot respond to the widening political gaps between the existing global structure and the newly changing realities of global power distribution where the BRICs is emerging as a powerful political entity At the same time, "effectiveness" implies that the present global system cannot control and manage the world peace and prosperity effectively It is becoming weaker as time goes on The world is looking for a new global governance architecture that includes both developed countries and emerging countries Various alternatives have been proposed by world leaders for a new basic structure of world order and for measures to reform the existing global governance Recently, some possible ways for managing the international monetary system effectively and stably have been

discussed in G-20

1.3.2 Reshaping Prospects of Global Governance

With rapid globalization, the global governance has become unstable Financial crises have become recurrent, uncertainty haunts world markets These trends have given rise to strong pressures for the re-adjustment of global governance structures to take account of the new relationship between the emerging countries and the advanced countries With their growing economic power and position, the emerging economies centering around the BRICS will try to reshape the existing governance regime, which has been dominated by Western countries like the United States, Japan and EU It is also predicted that, with the rise of newly emergent countries, the unilateral US hegemony in the world politics might be loosened The role of G-8 may also be weakened Instead, G-20, which includes the BRICS countries as its members, might take over the role

of controlling world economic order in its capacity as the highest level multilateral economic organization Moreover, within the existing basic framework, the world order may move to a bipolar system – G2,

in which, the United States and China assume the key roles Global issues like drugs, terrorism, poverty and climate change are emerging

There can also influence the reshaping of the global governance